Friday, May 20, 2011

Well, I realize it has been a few weeks since our last post. We have been moving in to our condo we are renting and at the same time, Andrew, Shelli and Maddi have all started new jobs! So needless to say, it's been a whirlwind this past month.
We are delighted with our new place to live. It's nestled up in a canyon across from the infamous Avalon Pet Cemetery. It's a bit out of town, so getting down to work, church, or the grocery store takes time without a golf cart. But we are thrilled to be in a place of our own and able to "nest" and get situated. I will say, however, that we miss the Dominguez family dearly! We so enjoyed our time with them and never could have imagined how nice it could be living with another family. We miss our family dinners with them and just the daily access to friends. We have determined to have dinner together as families on Sunday nights as much as possible so we don't lose what was gained during our time there.
As for jobs...Andrew is an official "Catalina Island Zipline Guide"! He worked very hard over a 2 week period to get licensed and certified to zip and in CPR, first aid, etc. It was a very intense training and we are glad it's over. He is settling into his new position and best of all, building great relationships at work. He discovered yesterday that another one of the guys he works with is a new Christian, which is so cool. This week in the Avalon movie theater (our only one) Soul Surfer played. It's pretty cool since it's a Christian-based movie here in our little town. We got everyone we could to go and Andrew was excited that several guys from work, both believers and nonbelievers, attended with him and really enjoyed it. It's a great open door for him to share "the hope that is within" as the Bible says. This weekend he will be camping out at a cove called Howlan's with a number of young adults, so please pray for that as well as his continued strength and witness at work.
Maddi is working at a retail clothing shop as well as the same cafe Shelli is working. The owner of both has grown-up on the island and has introduced us to many of the locals that we would never have met at church because they don't attend. So, we are excited that God has provided yet another area to let our lights shine for Christ and we pray that He woos the hearts of those we come into contact with so they will want what we have. Each day we, like you, find ourselves faced with many choices of how to approach people. We can think of them as just passer-by-ers who don't matter to our lives, or we can ask God to help us to see them as He sees them - with great compassion and love and with needs that He can meet. It's hard, sometimes, to be patient when we see people that way, because we want them so badly to be free and to know Jesus! But they must choose. And so my job is to allow the Spirit to work through me how He sees fit in the lives of the people I am with. I leave the heart-work to Him and I love.
P.S. Thank you to all who are continuing to support us financially and through prayer! We are so blessed that you have allowed God to use you in our lives and we thank Him for you!!

About Me

"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, REVEL in Him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
Philippians 4:4-7 (Message)